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Sullivan EV, Zahr NM, Zhao Q, Pohl KM, Sassoon SA, Pfefferbaum A. Contributions of Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensities to Postural Instability in Aging With and Without Alcohol Use Disorder. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024; 9:998-1009. [PMID: 38569932 PMCID: PMC11442683 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Both postural instability and brain white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are noted markers of normal aging and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Here, we questioned what variables contribute to the sway path-WMH relationship in individuals with AUD and healthy control participants. METHODS The data comprised 404 balance platform sessions, yielding sway path length and magnetic resonance imaging data acquired cross-sectionally or longitudinally in 102 control participants and 158 participants with AUD ages 25 to 80 years. Balance sessions were typically conducted on the same day as magnetic resonance imaging fluid-attenuated inversion recovery acquisitions, permitting WMH volume quantification. Factors considered in multiple regression analyses as potential contributors to the relationship between WMH volumes and postural instability were age, sex, socioeconomic status, education, pedal 2-point discrimination, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, depressive symptoms, total alcohol consumed in the past year, and race. RESULTS Initial analysis identified diagnosis, age, sex, and race as significant contributors to observed sway path-WMH relationships. Inclusion of these factors as predictors in multiple regression analyses substantially attenuated the sway path-WMH relationships in both AUD and healthy control groups. Women, irrespective of diagnosis or race, had shorter sway paths than men. Black participants, irrespective of diagnosis or sex, had shorter sway paths than non-Black participants despite having modestly larger WMH volumes than non-Black participants, which is possibly a reflection of the younger age of the Black sample. CONCLUSIONS Longer sway paths were related to larger WMH volumes in healthy men and women with and without AUD. Critically, however, age almost fully accounted for these associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith V Sullivan
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
| | - Natalie M Zahr
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Qingyu Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Kilian M Pohl
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Stephanie A Sassoon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Adolf Pfefferbaum
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
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SULLIVAN EV, ZAHR NM, ZHAO Q, POHL KM, SASSOON SA, PFEFFERBAUM A. Contributions of cerebral white matter hyperintensities, age, and pedal perception to postural sway in people with HIV. AIDS 2024; 38:1153-1162. [PMID: 38537080 PMCID: PMC11141235 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000003894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE With aging, people with HIV (PWH) have diminishing postural stability that increases liability for falls. Factors and neuromechanisms contributing to instability are incompletely known. Brain white matter abnormalities seen as hyperintense (WMH) signals have been considered to underlie instability in normal aging and PWH. We questioned whether sway-WMH relations endured after accounting for potentially relevant demographic, physiological, and HIV-related variables. DESIGN Mixed cross-sectional/longitudinal data were acquired over 15 years in 141 PWH and 102 age-range matched controls, 25-80 years old. METHODS Multimodal structural MRI data were quantified for seven total and regional WMH volumes. Static posturography acquired with a force platform measured sway path length separately with eyes closed and eyes open. Statistical analyses used multiple regression with mixed modeling to test contributions from non-MRI and nonpath data on sway path-WMH relations. RESULTS In simple correlations, longer sway paths were associated with larger WMH volumes in PWH and controls. When demographic, physiological, and HIV-related variables were entered into multiple regressions, the sway-WMH relations under both vision conditions in the controls were attenuated when accounting for age and two-point pedal discrimination. Although the sway-WMH relations in PWH were influenced by age, 2-point pedal discrimination, and years with HIV infection, the sway-WMH relations endured for five of the seven regions in the eyes-open condition. CONCLUSION The constellation of age-related increasing instability while standing, degradation of brain white matter integrity, and peripheral pedal neuropathy is indicative of advancing fraility and liability for falls as people age with HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith V. SULLIVAN
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Natalie M. ZAHR
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
| | - Qingyu ZHAO
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Kilian M. POHL
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Stephanie A. SASSOON
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
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Zahr NM. Alcohol Use Disorder and Dementia: A Review. Alcohol Res 2024; 44:03. [PMID: 38812709 PMCID: PMC11135165 DOI: 10.35946/arcr.v44.1.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE By 2040, 21.6% of Americans will be over age 65, and the population of those older than age 85 is estimated to reach 14.4 million. Although not causative, older age is a risk factor for dementia: every 5 years beyond age 65, the risk doubles; approximately one-third of those older than age 85 are diagnosed with dementia. As current alcohol consumption among older adults is significantly higher compared to previous generations, a pressing question is whether drinking alcohol increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. SEARCH METHODS Databases explored included PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. To accomplish this narrative review on the effects of alcohol consumption on dementia risk, the literature covered included clinical diagnoses, epidemiology, neuropsychology, postmortem pathology, neuroimaging and other biomarkers, and translational studies. Searches conducted between January 12 and August 1, 2023, included the following terms and combinations: "aging," "alcoholism," "alcohol use disorder (AUD)," "brain," "CNS," "dementia," "Wernicke," "Korsakoff," "Alzheimer," "vascular," "frontotemporal," "Lewy body," "clinical," "diagnosis," "epidemiology," "pathology," "autopsy," "postmortem," "histology," "cognitive," "motor," "neuropsychological," "magnetic resonance," "imaging," "PET," "ligand," "degeneration," "atrophy," "translational," "rodent," "rat," "mouse," "model," "amyloid," "neurofibrillary tangles," "α-synuclein," or "presenilin." When relevant, "species" (i.e., "humans" or "other animals") was selected as an additional filter. Review articles were avoided when possible. SEARCH RESULTS The two terms "alcoholism" and "aging" retrieved about 1,350 papers; adding phrases-for example, "postmortem" or "magnetic resonance"-limited the number to fewer than 100 papers. Using the traditional term, "alcoholism" with "dementia" resulted in 876 citations, but using the currently accepted term "alcohol use disorder (AUD)" with "dementia" produced only 87 papers. Similarly, whereas the terms "Alzheimer's" and "alcoholism" yielded 318 results, "Alzheimer's" and "alcohol use disorder (AUD)" returned only 40 citations. As pertinent postmortem pathology papers were published in the 1950s and recent animal models of Alzheimer's disease were created in the early 2000s, articles referenced span the years 1957 to 2024. In total, more than 5,000 articles were considered; about 400 are herein referenced. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Chronic alcohol misuse accelerates brain aging and contributes to cognitive impairments, including those in the mnemonic domain. The consensus among studies from multiple disciplines, however, is that alcohol misuse can increase the risk for dementia, but not necessarily Alzheimer's disease. Key issues to consider include the reversibility of brain damage following abstinence from chronic alcohol misuse compared to the degenerative and progressive course of Alzheimer's disease, and the characteristic presence of protein inclusions in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, which are absent in the brains of those with AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie M Zahr
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
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Sullivan EV, Zahr NM, Sassoon SA, Pohl KM, Pfefferbaum A. Postural instability in HIV infection: relation to central and peripheral nervous system markers. AIDS 2023; 37:1085-1096. [PMID: 36927610 PMCID: PMC10164071 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000003531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Determine the independent contributions of central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) metrics to balance instability in people with HIV (PWH) compared with people without HIV (PWoH). METHODS Volumetric MRI (CNS) and two-point pedal discrimination (PNS) were tested as substrates of stance instability measured with balance platform posturography. DESIGN 125 PWH and 88 PWoH underwent balance testing and brain MRI. RESULTS The PWH exhibited stability deficits that were disproportionately greater with eyes closed than eyes open compared with PWoH. Further analyses revealed that greater postural imbalance measured as longer sway paths correlated with smaller cortical and cerebellar lobular brain volumes known to serve sensory integration; identified brain/sway path relations endured after accounting for contributions from physiological and disease factors as potential moderators; and multiple regression identified PNS and CNS metrics as independent predictors of postural instability in PWH that differed with the use of visual information to stabilize balance. With eyes closed, temporal volumes and two-point pedal discrimination were significant independent predictors of sway; with eyes open, occipital volume was an additional predictor of sway. These relations were selective to PWH and were not detected in PWoH. CONCLUSION CNS and PNS factors were independent contributors to postural instability in PWH. Recognizing that myriad inputs must be detected by peripheral systems and brain networks to integrate sensory and musculoskeletal information for maintenance of postural stability, age- or disease-related degradation of either or both nervous systems may contribute to imbalance and liability for falls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith V. Sullivan
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Natalie M. Zahr
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
| | | | - Kilian M. Pohl
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
| | - Adolf Pfefferbaum
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA
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Kwong AJ, Zahr NM. Serum biomarkers of liver fibrosis identify globus pallidus vulnerability. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103333. [PMID: 36868044 PMCID: PMC9996367 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The CNS manifestation of chronic liver disease can include magnetic resonance (MR) signal hyperintensities in basal ganglia structures. Here, relations between liver (serum-derived fibrosis scores) and brain (regional T1-weighted signal intensities and volumes) integrity were evaluated in a sample of 457 individuals including those with alcohol use disorders (AUD), people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), those comorbid for AUD and HIV, and healthy controls. Liver fibrosis was identified from cutoff scores as follows: aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) > 0.7 in 9.4% (n = 43) of the cohort; fibrosis score (FIB4) > 1.5 in 28.0% (n = 128) of the cohort; and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS) > -1.4 in 30.2% (n = 138) of the cohort. Presence of serum-derived liver fibrosis was associated with high signal intensities selective to basal ganglia (i.e., caudate, putamen, and pallidum) structures. High signal intensities in the pallidum, however, explained a significant portion of the variance in APRI (25.0%) and FIB4 (23.6%) cutoff scores. Further, among the regions evaluated, only the globus pallidus showed a correlation between greater signal intensity and smaller volume (r = -0.44, p <.0001). Finally, higher pallidal signal intensity correlated worse ataxia (eyes open ρ = -0.23, p =.0002; eyes closed ρ = -0.21, p =.0005). This study suggests that clinically relevant serum biomarkers of liver fibrosis such as the APRI may identify individuals vulnerable to globus pallidus pathology and contribute to problems with postural balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison J Kwong
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
| | - Natalie M Zahr
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Rd. Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Neuroscience Program, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
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Sullivan EV, Zahr NM, Sassoon SA, Pfefferbaum A. Aging Accelerates Postural Instability in HIV Infection: Contributing Sensory Biomarkers. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2022; 17:538-552. [PMID: 34997916 PMCID: PMC9262994 DOI: 10.1007/s11481-021-10039-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
People living with HIV infection (PWH) who are adequately treated pharmacologically are now likely to have a near normal life span. Along with this benefit of the aging HIV population are potential physical problems attendant to aging, including postural stability. Whether aging with HIV accelerates age-related liability for postural instability and what sensory factors contribute to imbalance were examined in 227 PWH and 137 people living without HIV (PWoH), age 25 to 75 years. A mixed cross-sectional/longitudinal design revealed steeper aging trajectories of the PWH than PWoH in sway path length, measured as center-of-pressure micro-displacements with a force platform while a person attempted to stand still. Sway paths were disproportionately longer for PWH than PWoH when tested with eyes closed than open. Multiple regression identified objective measures of sensory perception as unique predictors of sway path length, whereas age, sway path length, and self-reports of falls were predictors of standing on one leg, a common measure of ataxia. Knowledge about sensory signs and symptoms of imbalance in postural stability with and without visual information may serve as modifiable risk factors for averting instability and liability for falls in the aging HIV population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith V Sullivan
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, MC5723, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, USA.
| | - Natalie M Zahr
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, MC5723, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | | | - Adolf Pfefferbaum
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, MC5723, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center for Health Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, USA
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Piekarski D, Sullivan EV, Pfefferbaum A, Zahr NM. Poor subjective sleep predicts compromised quality of life but not cognitive impairment in abstinent individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder. Alcohol 2022; 103:37-43. [PMID: 35870739 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
How disrupted sleep contributes to cognitive dysfunction over the dynamic course of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is an emerging topic of investigation. Here, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate subjective sleep in 90 individuals with AUD sober for an average of 3 months and in 50 healthy controls. Relative to controls, AUD individuals had higher global PSQI scores (worse sleep), higher scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), worse Quality of Life (QoL) indicators, and poorer performance on cognitive composite tests (executive functioning, attention and working memory, visual and verbal learning or memory). Among AUD individuals, a higher PSQI score correlated with a higher BDI scores and worse QoL, but not with cognitive scales. Also noted in the AUD group were higher global PSQI scores in individuals also diagnosed with major depressive (MDD) or generalized anxiety (GAD) disorders. Together, the 4 variables explained 29.8% of the variance in AUD PSQI scores. In women with AUD, the 4 factors explained 39.3% of the variance in PSQI scores; in AUD men, the 4 measures explained 19.9% of the variance: MDD was salient in women, QoL in men with AUD suggesting differential factors associate with poor sleep in men and women with AUD even with sustained alcohol abstinence. Here, global PSQI scores were related to clinical diagnoses and life functioning but failed to predict cognitive performance in abstinent AUD individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Piekarski
- Neuroscience Program SRI International 333 Ravenswood Ave. Menlo Park, CA 94025
| | - Edith V Sullivan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Stanford University School of Medicine 401 Quarry Rd. Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Adolf Pfefferbaum
- Neuroscience Program SRI International 333 Ravenswood Ave. Menlo Park, CA 94025
| | - Natalie M Zahr
- Neuroscience Program SRI International 333 Ravenswood Ave. Menlo Park, CA 94025; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Stanford University School of Medicine 401 Quarry Rd. Stanford, CA 94305.
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Müller-Oehring EM, Schulte T, Pfefferbaum A, Sullivan EV. Disruption of cerebellar-cortical functional connectivity predicts balance instability in alcohol use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend 2022; 235:109435. [PMID: 35395501 PMCID: PMC9106918 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A neural substrate of alcohol-related instability of gait and balance is the cerebellum. Whether disruption of neural communication between cerebellar and cortical brain regions exerts an influence on ataxia in alcohol use disorder (AUD) was the focus of this study. METHODS Study groups comprised 32 abstinent AUD participants and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (CTL). All participants underwent clinical screening, motor testing, and resting-state functional MR imaging analyzed for functional connectivity (FC) among 90 regions across the whole cerebrum and cerebellum. Ataxia testing quantified gait and balance with the Fregly-Graybiel Ataxia Battery conducted with and without vision. RESULTS The AUD group achieved lower scores than the CTL group on balance performance, which was disproportionately worse for eyes open than eyes closed in the AUD relative to the CTL group. Differences in ataxia were accompanied by differences in FC marked by cerebellar-frontal and cerebellar-parietal hyperconnectivity and cortico-cortical hypoconnectivity in the AUD relative to the control group. Lifetime alcohol consumption correlated significantly with AUD-related FC aberrations, which explained upwards of 69% of the AUD ataxia score variance. CONCLUSION Heavy, chronic alcohol consumption is associated with disorganized neural communication among cerebellar-cortical regions and contributes to ataxia in AUD. Ataxia, which is known to accelerate with age and be exacerbated with AUD, can threaten functional independence. Longitudinal studies are warranted to address whether extended sobriety quells ataxia and normalizes aberrant FC contributing to instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva M Müller-Oehring
- Neuroscience Program, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, United States; Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.
| | - Tilman Schulte
- Neuroscience Program, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, United States; Clinical Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Adolf Pfefferbaum
- Neuroscience Program, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, United States; Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Edith V Sullivan
- Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
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NADPH oxidase-induced activation of transforming growth factor-beta-1 causes neuropathy by suppressing antioxidant signaling pathways in alcohol use disorder. Neuropharmacology 2022; 213:109136. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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